Croissants

Making swoon-worthy croissants is not nearly as difficult as you may think. Using the Vitamix to create these beauties not only saves time, but makes you look like a real baking pro, too! For a yummy variation, try filling them with chocolate or ham and cheese.

Ingredients

Directions

Combine warm milk, yeast, and ½ teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Allow to bloom for 10 minutes.

Place 310g (2 cups) of the flour, remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar, salt, and 2 Tablespoons of the cold cubed butter in your Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.

Select Variable 6 and Pulse 5 to 6 times, or until mixture looks like wet sand.

Remove lid plug and Pulse again on Variable 6 while slowly drizzling in the milk mixture. Pulse 5 to 6 times.

Continue Pulsing while adding the cold milk in through the lid plug opening. Pulse 18 to 20 times, or until a dough ball roughly forms.

Remove dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 5 to 6 times. Do not overwork.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 40 to 50 minutes.

Clean the container. Place the remaining 1 Tablespoon of flour and 1¾ sticks cold cubed butter into the Vitamix container and secure the lid.

Select Variable 6 and Pulse 8 to 10 times. Remove lid plug and insert tamper to press the butter into the blades.

Stop the machine, remove the lid, and scrape. Pulse 3 to 4 more times.

Remove butter using a spatula to get under the blades and place in the center of a piece of parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll into a 25 x 15-cm (10 x 6-inch) rectangle .3 cm (⅛ inch) thick. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or until hardened but still pliable.

Place chilled dough on a very lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 30 x 20-cm (12 x 8-inch) rectangle. Using a pastry brush, gently dust off any excess flour on the dough, which may cause croissants not to rise as well.

Remove chilled butter block from parchment paper and center it on the dough, leaving a 1.3-cm (½-inch) border of uncovered dough around the edges.

Like a letter, fold the bottom half of the dough lengthwise up to the center of the butter, then the top half of the dough down over the center of the butter block. Pinch all the edges together and use your rolling pin to seal the edges. Run rolling pin across the whole block 3 to 4 times.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Remove dough from plastic and lightly dust with flour. Place dough with the short edge parallel to the bottom of your work surface.

Roll into a 40 x 20-cm (16 x 8-in) rectangle. Fold in both short edges to the center, making sure to leave a .6-cm (¼-inch) space between the folded edges. Then fold one side over the other as if closing a book.

Dust off excess flour with a pastry brush, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.

Line up each triangle so the bottom is parallel with the bottom edge of your work surface.

Very gently stretch the dough so it becomes 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) longer, or until it resembles the Eiffel Tower.

Grab the bottom points of the triangle and begin rolling the dough upwards towards the point, forming a crescent shape. Tuck the tip underneath the croissant and curve the ends inward. Continue to form the remaining croissants.